


While You Were "Sleeping"

by Jemisard



Category: Daredevil (TV), Iron Fist (TV), Jessica Jones (TV), Luke Cage (TV), The Defenders (Marvel TV)
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Multi, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-29
Updated: 2018-10-11
Packaged: 2019-07-19 00:38:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 1,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16129979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jemisard/pseuds/Jemisard
Summary: A collection of ficlets set after Matt's 'death' in Defenders. Mostly about Foggy, as viewed and narrated by Jessica. Each chapter is its own story. May be set in a single verse. Might not.





	1. Polished - Jessica and Foggy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nelson might not have changed, but it's hard to say under the professional, polished facade.

In the six months she'd last seen him, Nelson had changed.

She knew that Luke had kept in touch, professionally more than anything, and that Danny had hedged about trying to hire him or not but she hadn't felt the need to self flagellate with Matt's old friends.

His hair was shorter. He still had those baby soft features, but there was an emptiness behind his eyes, and he sat too straight, no longer like he was content in his body, but like it was something to make look good for clients.

It wasn't her problem. Unlike Luke and Danny, she didn't have any imagine obligation towards the man. She noticed things, that was her job. Doing something about it was not.

"Ms Jones, how can we help you today?"

"Some asshole thinks I should buy him a new car because I pulled off his bumper. I don't want to deal with it, Jeri deals with this shit."

"And Ms Hogarth delegated you to me."

"Because you get stuck dealing with all the super powered and vigilante stuff." She flashed him a grin. "I remember why you got hired, Nelson."

"So do I. And if I never have to do another trial like the Castle defence, it will be too soon." His smile was professional and never reached his eyes.

"So, can you make this go away in some legal fashion?"

"Yes." He took the file from her, looking through it. "Definitely, yes. He was trying to flee police?"

"Yeah. I just picked up the rear end of his car to stop him, but the fucking bumper fell off in my hand after like, five seconds. He tore off straight into a lamp post."

"I can deal with this. It won't bother you again." He put it into a tray on the desk. "Is there anything else?"

No, not really, but she was silent a few moments longer, looking at him. "Guess not," she finally said. "This is cutting into my drinking time."

"In which case, it's a pleasure Ms Jones." He was probably about to get up and show her out, so she cut him off by getting to the door and flinging it open.

"You look like shit, Nelson. Drink more. Or less. One will help. Maybe."

"Goodbye, Ms Jones," he echoed politely after her.

Jess fucking hated the polished, empty veneer. She thought Matt would've hated it too.

But he was dead, so fuck his opinion.


	2. Not Playing Around- Jessica and Danny

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jessica's just doing her job and Danny's not playing around, which is the whole problem.

Jess really hated the guy that Nelson had hooked up with.

Hell, if it was just hooked up with, maybe she wouldn't find it so repulsive. But he was his boyfriend, which meant emotional investment, which meant Jess couldn't just put him through a wall and call it done.

"You know, it's a little bit like stalking when you're following him."

"I'm a PI, doing work, this is my fucking job, Rand. It's how I make money. None of which you know jackshit about."

Danny sat himself down on the ledge next to her. He was dressed in his tuxedo, which meant he was planning on actually going inside at some point. "He can look after himself. He's a grown man, and a perfectly intelligent and capable one. Probably more capable than most of us."

She snorted. "That's no fucking achievement. Look, I knew him before all the Midland Circle bullshit. Not well, but this... mask? It's not right. This is a guy who wants to be comfortable, but he's hardly a paragon of corporate fashion and slavish devotion to the almighty dollar. And yet-"

He looked like the rest of them. In his plain grey suit and plain white shirt and plain black tie. His watch was probably a rolex, his hair was short and neat and professional and he gave a polite laugh and smile that clearly wasn't sincere.

"People change, Jess. You know that. Maybe he's moving on. Maybe it's grief. Either way, I don't know why you care so much." Danny leaned forward, drumming his heels against the wall of the building.

"Because it's fucking Murdoch caused this. We left him down there."

"He wanted to stay."

"Fuck what he wanted, what gave him the right to put them through that? He killed himself, he just found a convenient way to make it technically not suicide." She pointed her finger at the party. "We left him there. You and me and Luke."

Danny nodded slightly, but didn't reply.

"So you look after Hell's Kitchen. Luke looks after the broke ass old ladies who pay in pie and strudel and I'll-"

"Keep stalking Nelson and Page?"

"Keep an eye on his people, since he couldn't be fucked sticking around to do it." She pulled out her hip flask and stared Danny in the eye while she took a drink. "You got a fucking problem with that?"

"Even if I did, I wouldn't be dumb enough to say so this high up on a building while in punching distance," he promised.

"What do you know? You can train a dumb, privileged white boy. Fuck off, go to your party, put in an appearance before you run off to play superhero."

"I'm not playing at it, Jess." But he hopped up, moving away from her.

"No." She emptied the flask. "Neither was he."


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jess checks on Matt's people and confirms that she really dislikes Nelson's new boyfriend.
> 
> TW: Emotional abuse, body shaming

"I think you've had enough, Franklin."

Jess leaned her head back against the wall and took another drink. She dropped by once a week to just make sure that Matt's people were surviving, but this was the third time she'd heard this.

Not this exactly. But this same thing.

"You're my boyfriend, not my mother. My mother would be all for a second helping and a second bottle of wine."

"Mothers over feed their kids all the time. And you hate drinking a whole bottle of wine alone."

"I'm hardly alone."

"I'm not staying tonight. I have a late night drinks with Jeri."

"What?" There was silence. Jessica could imagine the frown on that round face. "Since when?"

"Since last week, I told you."

"No, you didn't. This is meant to be our date night."

"I did tell you. You just don't remember."

"I don't forget important things like this."

"You've been working a lot and late and crazy hours. You've also knocked through a fair amount of that bottle, you're bound to forget some things."

"I didn't forget. You didn't tell me." Footsteps, heading to the kitchen area.

"Franklin..."

"If I want another plate, I'm having one. I'm an adult."

"Franklin. _Foggy_." The pleading tone, footsteps, Jess could picture him moving up behind Nelson, into his personal space. "I know they say the plumper the cushion, the better the pushin', but you've really fined down the chub here, baby." The small inhale suggested creep-o had grabbed a handful of flesh _somewhere_. "It's sexy as hell. You're still big, but not all wobbly."

"Fuck you, Lawrie." Nelson's voice was choked up.

"Foggy..."

" _Don't_. Get out. Go to your goddamn drinks and don't come back here tonight. I am not the fat theatre kid I was and if you don't like my weight, that's on you, not me. You're my boyfriend, but you're meant to pay attention to the 'friend' part of that as well and I've never kept a friend who didn't accept me for the size I am."

"Franklin, I didn't mean-"

"Out!"

There was terse silence, just footsteps and then the door and then a muffled sob from inside.

"Good on you, Nelson," Jess whispered.

Nelson sobbed again.

Jessica hated emotions. 

So she stepped off the window ledge and chalked that visit up as 'Nelson was okay', by Jessica standards.

They weren't great standards, but they were all she had since she couldn't go and punch creep-o in the face.

Not for the first time that night, she cursed Matt Murdock's name and life choices before she moved on.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jess talks to Trish about guilt, responsibility and stalking.

"Trish! Trish, I need your advice!"

Jess banged on the door, managing to stop short of knocking it open and warping the metal. "Triiiiish!"

"Jesus, Jess!" The light went on inside and Jess wondered if maybe it was too late for this. Or too early? One of those was what she meant, but Trish was up now, so it didn't matter.

Trish unlocked the balcony door, pulling her dressing down around her tighter. "Jess, it's three in the morning."

"Huh." Jess pushed her way inside. "Trish, I am not a hero. At all. Anti-hero." 

"Sure." Trish closed up again. "Is there a reason you can't use my front door?"

"Quicker. But I hate bullshit people using bullshit fucking emotional manipulations on their partners. Even if they do it badly. I hate that shit."

"I know," Trish assured her, coming to sit next to her. "I know you do, Jess."

"But he's not my friend. So it's not my fucking problem. But the person who would've done something about it, he's gone, and that _is_ my fault, so should I step in and do what he would've done? What if he wouldn't have just punched the guy's nose in and told him to clear off? I don't think that's actually going to help. Because I'm a stranger, telling a guy to fuck off from this other guy, I mean, I would call it crazy."

Trish was silent a moment. "Jess...? Have you been stalking Ms Page and Mr Nelson again?"

"It's not stalking, Trish! I'm a PI. It's work. Because Midland Circle was work."

Trish tried to pull her into a hug that Jess didn't really want at that moment, so instead Trish hugged her and Jess put up with it. "Matt Murdock's vanishing wasn't your fault."

"It feels like my fault, Trish!" Jess gritted her teeth, not wanting to shout at Trish. It wasn't her fault either. "Nelson's boyfriend is a creep-o and Murdock's not here to knock sense into him and he's not here because we left him."

"Jess, I'm not going to tell you what to do, because I know you hate that and it's completely pointless. You aren't responsible for Matt's friends. Mr Nelson is old enough and big enough to make his own decisions." Trish leaned back and looked Jess in the eye. "Would he have ended up with this guy had Matt been alive? Probably not, because he wouldn't have been in an emotionally vulnerable place and because there's every possibility Matt would have told this guy to clear off. But it doesn't make it your fault or your responsibility, Jessie."

"You're right. Fuck him. It's not my problem. Nelson can bang whoever he wants." She looked at trish and smiled slightly, smugly. "Though Nelson put him out on his ear when the prick called him fat."

Trish frowned. "I dislike this guy and I barely know Mr Nelson." 

"He's a total jerkwad," Jess stated. "Creep-o. Nelson's not bad."

"Glowing praise from you. Are you going to stay here tonight? For what's left of the night?"

"Yeah." Jess yawned and stretched. "Can I sleep in your bed?"

"No, you smell like a distillery's off run. You can sleep out here and clean up in the morning." Trish went and got the blanket she kept for Jess. "Don't sneak off, either, and I'll take you somewhere for breakfast. Somewhere with good coffee."

Jess made a rude noise and reached up for the blanket.

Trish gave it to her. "Boots off, don't put them on my couch. Try and sleep. And remember, it's not your fault, it's not your responsibility." Trish bent down to kiss Jess' brow. "Night, Jessie."

"Night, Trish." Jess kicked off her boots and stretched out on the couch, listening to the lights being turned off.

Jess lay there, listening to the nightlife around her.

Not her fault.

Not her responsibility.

The mantra ran through her head until she fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You should still buy my book.
> 
> If you do, I might be convinced to write you a ficlet.
> 
> The Unknowing, by SJ Matthews


End file.
